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Counseling
Graduate Major in Counseling
The Department of Human Services Programs offers a Masters of Arts Degree in Community Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and School Counseling. The Master of Arts degree requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of academic preparation. The counseling program is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the Council on Rehabilitation Education (C.O.R.E.).
COMMUNITY COUNSELING
The Community Counseling Program at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) trains counselors who can help to meet the growing demand for counseling services. Toward this goal, the Department of Human Services Programs offers a Masters of Arts Degree in Community Counseling. The program is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The faculty of the Community Counseling Program place great value on exposing students to a variety of theories and techniques of counseling, appropriate professional counseling organizations, and interdisciplinary professional activities.
The Community Counseling Program endorses the philosophy that counseling is an empowering process in which persons exercise control over their own lives. The program adheres to concepts of the holistic nature of people, self responsibility for health promotion and wellness, the uniqueness of each individual, and equal opportunity for counseling services for all persons.
The Master of Arts degree in Community Counseling requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of academic preparation. The degree includes a required core
REHABILITATION COUNSELING
The Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program (RCEP) at Stephen F. Austin State University trains rehabilitation counselors who can help to meet the growing demand for rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. Toward this goal, the Department of Human Services Programs offers a Master of Arts Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. The program was designed upon criteria established by and is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (C.O.R.E.). The curriculum combines academic theory and technique courses with hands-on practicum and field-site internship experiences. The faculty of the Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program place very high value on the exposure of students to a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services, professional organizations, interdisciplinary professional activities, as well as advocacy and consumer groups in the field of rehabilitation. The RCEP at Stephen F. Austin State University endorses the philosophy that rehabilitation is an empowering process in which persons exercise control over their own lives. The program adheres to concepts of the holistic nature of people, self-responsibility for health promotion and wellness, the uniqueness of each individual, equal opportunity for health care and social and economic involvement for all persons with disabilities. These concepts form the philosophical basis for coursework which prepares students to provide vocational guidance, psychological counseling, rehabilitation case management, and job development and placement services for persons with any type of physical, mental, emotional or social disability. The Master of Arts degree in Rehabilitation Counseling requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of academic preparation. The degree includes a core curriculum of 27 hours, 12 hours of advanced coursework in rehabilitation counseling and 9 hours of practicum and internship.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available to qualified students in the form of graduate assistantships, scholarships and grants, college work-study program and loans.
In response to the national shortage of qualified rehabilitation counselors, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has provided partial support for the graduate education of selected students in the graduate Rehabilitation Counseling Program. Scholarships vary, however the 10 scholarships* are designed to cover tuition and fees, books and a small living stipend per semester.
Students receiving this scholarship must agree to obtain and maintain employment in a state rehabilitation agency or related agency providing services to people with disabilities.
* Although the program grants only 10 RSA scholarships per semester, approximately 70% of the full-time Rehabilitation Counseling graduate students received some type of financial assistance in 1994.
School Counseling
The faculty of the Department of Counseling & Special Educational Programs believe the mission of the department is to produce competent members of the counseling profession; one of the areas of emphasis within this broad framework is the profession of school counseling. School counseling is a multifaceted endeavor intending to provide developmental, prevention, and remediation in order to meet the student needs within the school setting.
The four main components of a school guidance program include, individual planning, responsive services, guidance curriculum, and system support. The balance of these components makes for a well rounded developmental guidance program which will help to meet the needs of students in the school setting. At the helm of this program in the school counselor.
It is imperative that school counselors have a strong professional identity and a commitment to the profession. School counselors can provide a valuable service not only to the students but to the parents, the school and to the community. Within this framework the school counselor acts as the link in providing an avenue to positive, healthy communication, and helps to provide an atmosphere that will enhance the well being of his/her client.
The Master of Arts Degree Program in School Counseling meets the endorsement requirements of the Texas Education Agency and is based on the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program(CACREP) recommended School Counseling Curriculum.